Broadband penetration in the US grew by 13% last year, reaching 95.5 million homes, meaning that 68% of active internet households use broadband to connect to the internet.
According to new figures from Nielsen/NetRatings, broadband popularity has seen an increase in time spent by consumers on their computers. The average person now spends 30.5 hours per month using their home PC, compared to 25.5 hours in 2003.
Explaining the findings, Jon Gibs, senior director of media at Nielsen//NetRatings, said: “The correlated growth in average PC time per person is the result of broadband users’ greater satisfaction with their online experience.”
Gibs continued: “The ‘always on’ nature of a broadband connection allows the internet to become more entrenched in consumers’ lives. In broadband consumers’ minds, activities such as checking account balances, downloading music, watching streaming video and checking email become just another application of the PC rather than a separate activity that happens when they log onto the internet.”
Increased broadband penetration has supported the growth of existing sites offering media streaming services, as well as encouraged the proliferation of new ones.
Nielsen/NetRatings identifies a growing trend in users accessing media online at video sharing sites, with MSN Video attracting 9.3 million unique visitors in February 2006, up 44% year on year. YouTube and Google Video also enjoyed a good performance, while iFilm and Yahoo’s video search saw triple digit year-over-year growth.
Although internet penetration in the US has stabilised, reaching 74% of all households in February 2006, broadband saturation has steadily increased over the past 4 years.
Broadband now accounts for the majority of all internet connections, with recent data from Ipsos Public affairs showing that 61% of online households in the US used broadband by December 2005, compared to 37% using dial-up (see Consumers Still Use Dial-Up).
This trend is mirrored in the UK, with the Office of National Statistics (ONS) claiming that broadband connections made up 64.2% of connections by December 2005, opposed to dial-up at 35.8% (see Broadband Accounts For 64% Of UK Internet Connections).
According to WPP’s recent OgilvyOne Report, Europe has overtaken North America as the second largest broadband market in the world (see Europe Pushes Broadband Uptake Forward).
The report states that by the end of 2006 the top three countries in terms of broadband penetration will be the Netherlands at 56%, Switzerland with 51% and Denmark at 49%.
Total online household penetration in Western Europe is forecast to reach 63% by 2010, with 93% of online households expected to use broadband to access the internet.
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